Doug Walker (TGWTG, Nostalgia Critic, Bum Reviews, and other projects)

Ah, FF:TSW. I remember when my friends and I first watched it in 2002 on DVD, it blew our collective minds. The level of detail, characters that actually looked like real people as opposed to the other CGI films up to that point, the sci-fi story, which was a bit accessible to non-FF fans...

...Then I re-watched it a couple years ago and it really doesn't hold up that well. Still, it can't be denied that back then, we were floored.

I don't know if anyone remembers, but the DVD had a special feature where you could play editor with one scene in the movie, and we got a kick out of repeatedly using the cut of Hein (James Woods) griping, "Could you please explain WHY? Zeus was completed a month ago!"

Edited by speedyboris on May 16th 2019 at 3:28:19 AM

I remember the original DVD release for Men in Black had a feature like that where you could re-cut certain scenes using alternate takes, with director Barry Sonnefield teasing the viewer that whatever re-cut we do, it still won't be as good as the film's actual cut.

One of the scenes offered for re-cutting is the scene where K and J are interviewing the woman whose husband got killed by the cockroach alien, and it was possible to re-cut the scene in such a way so that Will Smith's character J drinks the orange juice, and spit it out three times all while the woman is talking.

I haven't watched the latest video, so I needed context, but apparently Doug's opening bit has drawn the ire of several people, including at least one that didn't take kindly to the "Notre Dame fire" gag.

The review had TWO drawn-out gags. The opening with the animated virtual actors, and the middle one.

BOTH were parts I did not like. And apparently I'm in good company.

That wasn't the opening bit but a sequence in somewhere in the middle. And man, I knew that joke was going to be divisive (personally, I loved it but I understand why someone may not like it) but some people genuinely treat it as an Absolute Insult to the Fans, or like in the comments in the post you linked that "FAME HAS GONE TO HIS HEAD," which, really? Also what does "At least STAND BY your dump" even mean? I'm not usually one to say "Man, someone doesn't have a sense of humor here" but... man, someone really doesn't have a sense of humor here.

(EDIT: I was similarly surprised when I read that someone considered this sequence to be of the worst NC jokes ever. To me, it's one of his best gags from the pre-2013 episodes.)

And I'm kind of baffled that some consider the Notre-Dame gag to be that much in poor taste. Like, I understand the religious and historical significance of the cathedral but no one died or was seriously injured in the fire and the damage wasn't apparently that extreme. I would've gotten it if Doug had joked about, say, a school shooting, but this? Come on.

Edited by Motyka5 on May 17th 2019 at 7:01:57 AM

You've been very defensive of the guy despite his involvement in Channel Awesome's Woes.

So people are very doubtful of the guy now, but it seems like his Notre Dame gag was a final straw for people that weren't already through with him post #Changethechannel (Like myself).

For the record, sure, Notre Dame didn't burn to the ground and the windows are thankfully intact nor did the bells melt and fall taking the belltowers with them (which was a concern), but it's still MASSIVE damage to the building and its restoration. It'll be decades before it is anywhere near what it was. And that was actually heartbreaking to me because I gave up a trip to Europe two years ago and have been dreaming of visiting Notre Dame since I was a child. That I probably won't be 30-35 before I can see her is saddening. It wasn't AS bad as it could have been, but it is still pretty bad without being completely unrecoverable.

Agreed. I wasn't trying to defend them. Merely clarifying on the damage.

Edited by InkDagger on May 17th 2019 at 10:55:19 AM

Regardless, the people who are mad at this sounds like massive hypocrites to me. Apparently they care way more about a building than about the people who were mistreated and abused by Channel Awesome, if that's the last straw for them.

Notre Dame means a LOT to a lot of people. It isn't called the "heart of Paris" for nothing. And just because it didn't burn to the ground and only one fire fighter got hurt, it doesn't mean that the fire wasn't a huge loss. It will never be quite the same and it will take decades before the rebuilding is done. I cared mostly about the historical meaning, and I don't care at all for the "it is just a building, get over it" attitude, I can imagine that those who have an even more emotional connection with it feel personally attacked over it.

Also, don't assume that all viewers of Channel Awesome are even aware of what is happening in the background, and if they are, it is nothing they have SEEN. They have SEEN Notre Dame burning. This does make a psychological difference.

Edited by Swanpride on May 18th 2019 at 12:24:17 PM

OK, although I don't subscribe to this sentiment, I understand why many people are upset about Notre-Dame. I don't think the joke was that bad but we can agree to disagree on this one. I apologize if I came across as insensitive.

x4 Eh, I don't know if I've been very defensive. I absolutely agree that Doug has done some shitty things of which many are hard to defend, I just don't subscribe to the "Doug Walker is the Antichrist" approach.

Edited by Motyka5 on May 18th 2019 at 1:46:05 AM

I never said, "It's just a building, get over it." But you know what, I'm pretty annoyed now. You think others don't have national heritages that have been destroyed? And a lot of it the result of imperialism, no less.

I don't prioritise objects, even objects of cultural significance, over the lives of people. As long as no one is hurt, we can rebuild anything.

Edited by Nightwire on May 18th 2019 at 5:50:06 AM

What was the Notre Dame joke?

guessing it involved Frollo

I think people just don't like jokes being made about things of cultural / historical significance that were recently destroyed. Let's not shame people just because they possibly value something that much because you will end up looking like a jerk for doing so.

It was a part of a longer sequence: in one of the scenes in the movie, James Woods' character screams "Where's the proof?!" in a way that makes Critic laugh. He proceeds to parody it in increasingly more ridiculous scenarios: a waiter tells him that they don't have any broth left ("Where's the soup?!"), the Goof Troop logo is missing a word ("Where's the Goof?!"), a magician makes a rabbit disappear in a strangely silent manner ("Where's the 'poof'?!"), etc. Anyway, at one point we see a recent photo of Notre-Dame and Critic screams "Where's the roof?!". That's it.

Edited by Motyka5 on May 18th 2019 at 9:24:56 AM

I think people are just sensitive about the matter in the moment because after the fire, a lot of atheists aso went out of their way to be really a-holish about the people of Paris singing hymns for Notre Dame.

I agree that it seems a little hypocritical of people to ignore Awesomegate, but draw the line at a joke about Notre Dame.

Also, the general backlash seems a bit overblown. The Critic made an insensitive joke? Stop the presses!

The joke wasnt even terrible. Itll quickly become dated, but its culturally relevant and fits well with his running gag.

I'm pretty bummed out about the Notre Dame, but I don't care if people make jokes or whatever. It just means people are talking about it.

x3

Really? Most I saw were standing in solidarity over it and making efforts to NOT shame the religious.

Guess that means I run in some of the right circles then.

x5 Hmm, that's not THE most insensitive joke he's ever done but it's still a textbook example of Too Soon.

To be honest, it just sounds like a cringeworthy attempt to be current. Particularly since Doug didn't even know that Notre Dame existed until a couple of years ago.

Edited by DrDougsh on May 18th 2019 at 6:48:32 AM

So, basically like all the Trump jokes from a few years back?

Essentially.

The format shift really exposed his weakness at being funny.

...... what? He really didn't know?

That's about on par with people saying they didn't know "Titanic" was based on a true event.

...You know, I know American education system isn't perfect but how the Hell can you not know that Notre Dame exist?

Hell, he must've watched Hunchback of Notre Dame and at least did a seconds worth of Wiki search, simply out of basic curiosity.